How Indian brands like Amul's shuddhh ghee and Kerala-made Chandrika Soap are making a splash abroad

People across the world are quick to adopt local Indian practices, whether it’s Ayurveda or yogaJohn Sarkar | TNN | September 26, 2017, 09:20 IST

Highlights

Americans and Europeans are putting traditional Indian foods and beauty products to unconventional use.,

For instance, shuddhh ghee to enhance the flavour of coffee and Chandrika bathing soap to shave their beards.,

Americans and Europeans are putting traditional Indian foods and beauty products to unconventional use — shuddhh ghee to enhance the flavour of coffee and Chandrika bathing soap to shave their beards.

For instance, Amul Ghee, which is sold in the US through Amazon, is being plopped into mugs of latte to make bullet-proof coffee, a health trend that espouses the virtues of a dollop of fat in the morning, instead of carbs.

Gopal Pillai, director and GM of Amazon India’s selling services, said local manufacturers and brands have hit the jackpot in the US and the Europe. “Apart from top brands, including Amul and Titan, many domestic players who were earlier contract manufacturers for international labels, are now reaching out directly to customers in the US through Amazon,” Pillai said.

For instance, an Indian manufacturer has sold bedsheets worth $100 million on Amazon’s US platform. However, this does not mean Americans love bright floral patterns on their beds.

“Abroad, people prefer white linen on beds. So, Indian bedsheets have become very popular as beach towels and throws,” said Pillai. That perhaps also explains why some are also being used as psychedelic wall hangings to aid in meditation.

Similarly, Kerala-made Chandrika Soap, which is arguably the world’s oldest Ayurvedic bathing bar, sold out during a ‘deal of the day’ event in the US. From creating rich lather during a shave to being stuffed in wardrobes as fresheners, these herbal soap bars, too, have stumbled upon new-found identities in foreign land.

“People across the world are quick to adopt local Indian practices, whether it’s Ayurveda or yoga,” said nutritionist Ishi Khosla. “The internet has shortened the timeline between gaining knowledge about a trend and its adoption.”

And thanks to the proliferation of Ayurveda across the world, indigenous copper tumblers that were once the mainstay of Indian kitchens are replacing beer and cocktail mugs made of glass in bars and homes abroad.

Among the many benefits of copper, the ones that Americans seem to lap up the most are, one, that it apparently keeps drinks “seven degrees colder” than glass; and two, lime juice tastes crispier in a metal cup compared with traditional pint glasses. Next in line are Tantuja sarees from Bengal, which Amazon has just started selling on its global platform.

It’s still early days but the artisans who weave them are keeping their fingers crossed: the Americans might just discover innovative ways to use six yards of cloth.